Donald Trump proposes free access for US ships through Panama and Suez canals
Trump's comments emphasize his ongoing push for U.S. dominance over key global maritime routes, especially in the wake of his persistent efforts regarding the Panama Canal.
President Donald Trump has demanded American commercial and military vessels have unrestricted access through both Panama and Suez canals. In a social media post, Trump asserted that these routes would not exist without the United States' participation and requested that his Secretary of State Marco Rubio investigate this matter without delay.
Trump's remarks come in the wake of his ongoing push to claim U.S. priority over global shipping routes. The Panama Canal has long since been a focal point of ongoing U.S. policy aimed at asserting American predominance over strategic maritime routes. Now he seemingly has added the Suez Canal, which connects Europe and Asia, to that list.
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Trump calls for free access for US ships through Panama and Suez canals
Donald Trump has now directed the Secretary of State to take quick action so that American commercial and military ships have free passage through the Panama and Suez canals.
Trump has been saying for months that the US should take over the Panama Canal, but this most recent post applies it to the Suez route as well. "American ships, military or commercial, should be able to travel through the Panama and Suez canals, free of charge!" he posted on Saturday.
He insisted that neither route would have been built without America's help, and charged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take action on an urgent basis.
When asked to respond to President Trump’s comments, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino did not address Trump’s comments head on, but also said that tolls are managed by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), a separate entity that operates independently of the Panamanian government. “There is no agreement to the contrary,” he said.
The Panama Canal was administrated by the U.S. government last century. Photo: EFE
Recently, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was in Panama City and discussed an agreement that would allow U.S. warships to go through the canal first and without tolls. In Hegseth’s meeting, he suggested that U.S. troops would return to Panama and would “secure” the canal, a suggestion that was quickly rejected by the Panamanian government.
The U.S. and China are major users of the Panama Canal.
In reaction to these threats, since January 2024, the U.S. military been attacking locations benefitting the Houthis, with a sharp increase in military operations under Trump. Trump has said that military operations will continue until the Houthis no longer pose a threat to shipping in the region.